It's almost a week since we lost the house and we are still in the hotel. They actually know us by our first names now. I think that's a sign that we have been there for too long.
I have people praying that a house is found for us soon. Younger son is not coming with us, so we could get by with 2 bedrooms but I don't want to confuse the guy who is looking for a house for us. He's with disaster services. Disaster is right.
I'm thinking I'll feel better once we are settled. I miss the dogs and Josh and just having a home.
I don't mean to be pity poor me and so I will stop that now and focus on kindness.
My next door neighbors... where would we be without them? Josh has been with them for a week along with the dogs and one cat, we still haven't found the second one but we are putting out food and water daily.
Chef Don at the Embassy Suites who gave us a whopper of a complimentary fruit plate.
Andrea who cleans the tables at the Embassy restaurant offered me clothes.
The lady at Michael who gave me a 10% discount after I apologised for the stinky money I was handing her.
My rubber stamping internet family who have sent me good wishes and cheer and sympathy.
My next door neighbors... they need to be thanked twice or more. These are the same neighbors who not only is sheltering son and dogs but gave us shelter that first night and even shared their clothes with us.
The guy at the liquor store who gave Josh a discount on the beer he bought. Josh goes there often and they recognize him and often come out to greet Charlie who loves to go along for a ride with him.
Joan, a local on my rubberstamping list, who has offered clothes, a lunch date and a shoulder to cry on.
Anja, Kali's (our girl dog) first mother who has invited us to her mother's house for a meal.
Every and any one who gives me a smile, a kind word a nod. Life will get better
Friday, February 24, 2012
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Weary
I am weary to my bones and the real work hasn't even started yet.
We still have no place to live. 3 houses were found for us but no fenced in yard and I cannot imagine Charlie and Kali, the two runningest dogs in the world, living without a yard. So we wait and keep looking.
We need to buy more clothes or use the laundromat at the hotel but that seems like so much work - both buying an washing. I realized the the majority of the clothes I've already bought are black or black and white, perfect for a funeral. I already have the pyre.
I am so tired of eating out. We don't have to pay for it but we are always eating out, except for Sunday when Josh, at the neighbors' house stuffed me full of his spaghetti. I can't wait for home cooked meals again, even if it is just grilled cheese.
I try to be grateful that we all got out, and I am, I truly am but I seem to forget that when a very long weekend looms before me. Before there was never enough time to do what I wanted to do. Now there is all this time and so little to stuff into it.
I have a hard time getting motivated at work, not the way to be when our business has two employees, me and the husband, and I seem to do most of the work anyway. My fingers don't work and all kinds of odd things flow from them. The backspace and the delete key are fast becoming my friends.
I am frustrated at being banned from my craft room. I was even going to scoot forward on my stomach like one would rescuing a child on ice but Josh told me firmly NO! I was rather annoying about it but he was firm. So I listened. Such a switch as if he were the sensible mother and I a knuckleheaded kid. For the record, Josh was never a knucklehead.
I went to the tree in the back yard beneath which we have burried our lost pets. I explained to them what was happening, cried like a baby and then wiped the tears away before anyone saw. People are remarking on how well I'm taking this, but I'll let you in on a little secret.... I"M NOT!!! Only I won't let anyone see.
I have called no one and told them about this and feared there would be a write up in the paper but the only place it appeared was in someplace called Elkridge Patch on line. Whew.
I've told my list family and they have rallied around with words of encouragement. They have my heart.
I'll probably be my old self soon, only I don't know if that's a positive or not. I certainly hate feeling like this.
On that note I will crawl into my car that smells like a rolling bbq joint and head out to what, for now, is home.
We still have no place to live. 3 houses were found for us but no fenced in yard and I cannot imagine Charlie and Kali, the two runningest dogs in the world, living without a yard. So we wait and keep looking.
We need to buy more clothes or use the laundromat at the hotel but that seems like so much work - both buying an washing. I realized the the majority of the clothes I've already bought are black or black and white, perfect for a funeral. I already have the pyre.
I am so tired of eating out. We don't have to pay for it but we are always eating out, except for Sunday when Josh, at the neighbors' house stuffed me full of his spaghetti. I can't wait for home cooked meals again, even if it is just grilled cheese.
I try to be grateful that we all got out, and I am, I truly am but I seem to forget that when a very long weekend looms before me. Before there was never enough time to do what I wanted to do. Now there is all this time and so little to stuff into it.
I have a hard time getting motivated at work, not the way to be when our business has two employees, me and the husband, and I seem to do most of the work anyway. My fingers don't work and all kinds of odd things flow from them. The backspace and the delete key are fast becoming my friends.
I am frustrated at being banned from my craft room. I was even going to scoot forward on my stomach like one would rescuing a child on ice but Josh told me firmly NO! I was rather annoying about it but he was firm. So I listened. Such a switch as if he were the sensible mother and I a knuckleheaded kid. For the record, Josh was never a knucklehead.
I went to the tree in the back yard beneath which we have burried our lost pets. I explained to them what was happening, cried like a baby and then wiped the tears away before anyone saw. People are remarking on how well I'm taking this, but I'll let you in on a little secret.... I"M NOT!!! Only I won't let anyone see.
I have called no one and told them about this and feared there would be a write up in the paper but the only place it appeared was in someplace called Elkridge Patch on line. Whew.
I've told my list family and they have rallied around with words of encouragement. They have my heart.
I'll probably be my old self soon, only I don't know if that's a positive or not. I certainly hate feeling like this.
On that note I will crawl into my car that smells like a rolling bbq joint and head out to what, for now, is home.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Night one
On February 17, 2012, sometime around 11:30 my husband came into the bedroom to tell me to get on my coat and go next door. Groggy and half asleep I got out of bed, headed down the hallway that was rapidly filling with an unbelieveable stench. As I asked where the fire was I passed the basement door and was slapped in the face by a head that couldn't possibly be real. Later as the skin peeled from my lips, I realized that my lips had been burned by the heat.
I managed to make it to the door, asked about the dogs, grabbed my coat and headed outside. I was heading toward the next door neighbors who had a land line while we had only cell phones. My cell phone was on the kitchen table however, and I didn't even think about it. I made it to theneighbors', the fire department was called and chaos reigned.
Before I go any further. We are a family of four, my husband and two grown sons, two dogs, two cats and a 39 year old miniature orange tree that we bought on our honeymoon. Everyone, including the orange tree, got out alive and unharmed, though one cat is missing, someplace in our big back yard. The dogs were tucked safely away in a car, one son hadn't come home for work and the other had been with the neighbors next door.
Mrs next Door Neighbor gave me her slippers. Mr Next Door gave my husband a pair of sweatpants and later a striped dress shirt for my husband had run out of the house in a pair of shorts only. We live in Maryland and while we weren't up to our whoo haaas in snow, it was cold.
So there I sat, watching the most foul smoke pour from my house. First there was white and then a black and then a sulphurous yellow. There were flames but they were mostly contained to the basement. They shot out of the basement windows, licked up the side of the house before the firemen stopped them.
Ours is a volunteer fire department and I swear that some of those guys looked to be about 10 but they all seemed to know what they were doing. Eventually we had 7 trucks plus a variety of other trucks and jeeps and police and people. I stayed at the neighbors trying to keep out of the way and equally trying to hold myself together. I refused to become a blubbering mess. I checked on the dogs in the car, stopped by the fence but went back to my vigil inside.
It seemed forever but, eventually the fire guys won. I no longer had any windows in the house, the front door had been battered down AND a door shaped hole in the side of the house right at the big bedroom. The house is a rancher. Comments were made that I was so calm. I think it was shock more than anything. When my brain kicked it, it seemed a bit lopsided. I thought of things we lost: my craft supplies, my son's professional grade saxephone, the trophy he got in Virgina Beach as outstanding soloist, my husband's hawaiian shirts, my second son's perler beads and the headphones he was selling on ebay. Not once did I wonder where was I going to live.
It was a very long night. We found ourself a fire advocate who handled everything from finding us a place to stay, they were going to find us a place where we could take the dogs but the next door neighbors invited them to stay, so we arrived at one of those suite inns at 6am stinking of smoke. Our oldest son stayed at the neighbors to soothe the dogs, other son went to a friend's house and husband and I went to bed for all of two hours sleep.
Thus ended night one.
I managed to make it to the door, asked about the dogs, grabbed my coat and headed outside. I was heading toward the next door neighbors who had a land line while we had only cell phones. My cell phone was on the kitchen table however, and I didn't even think about it. I made it to theneighbors', the fire department was called and chaos reigned.
Before I go any further. We are a family of four, my husband and two grown sons, two dogs, two cats and a 39 year old miniature orange tree that we bought on our honeymoon. Everyone, including the orange tree, got out alive and unharmed, though one cat is missing, someplace in our big back yard. The dogs were tucked safely away in a car, one son hadn't come home for work and the other had been with the neighbors next door.
Mrs next Door Neighbor gave me her slippers. Mr Next Door gave my husband a pair of sweatpants and later a striped dress shirt for my husband had run out of the house in a pair of shorts only. We live in Maryland and while we weren't up to our whoo haaas in snow, it was cold.
So there I sat, watching the most foul smoke pour from my house. First there was white and then a black and then a sulphurous yellow. There were flames but they were mostly contained to the basement. They shot out of the basement windows, licked up the side of the house before the firemen stopped them.
Ours is a volunteer fire department and I swear that some of those guys looked to be about 10 but they all seemed to know what they were doing. Eventually we had 7 trucks plus a variety of other trucks and jeeps and police and people. I stayed at the neighbors trying to keep out of the way and equally trying to hold myself together. I refused to become a blubbering mess. I checked on the dogs in the car, stopped by the fence but went back to my vigil inside.
It seemed forever but, eventually the fire guys won. I no longer had any windows in the house, the front door had been battered down AND a door shaped hole in the side of the house right at the big bedroom. The house is a rancher. Comments were made that I was so calm. I think it was shock more than anything. When my brain kicked it, it seemed a bit lopsided. I thought of things we lost: my craft supplies, my son's professional grade saxephone, the trophy he got in Virgina Beach as outstanding soloist, my husband's hawaiian shirts, my second son's perler beads and the headphones he was selling on ebay. Not once did I wonder where was I going to live.
It was a very long night. We found ourself a fire advocate who handled everything from finding us a place to stay, they were going to find us a place where we could take the dogs but the next door neighbors invited them to stay, so we arrived at one of those suite inns at 6am stinking of smoke. Our oldest son stayed at the neighbors to soothe the dogs, other son went to a friend's house and husband and I went to bed for all of two hours sleep.
Thus ended night one.
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